Unit 8: Legal Descriptions

An acre contains

43,560 square feet

In the metes-and-bounds description reading "beginning at an iron rod set for the corner; thence 90° 0' 0" E 180.0'; thence 0° 0' 0" S 160.0'; thence back to the POB," the parcel identified is

a triangle

The following partial description is an example of which method: Beginning at the intersection of the east line of Jones Road and the south line of Skull Drive; then east along the south line of Skull Drive 200 feet; then south 15°, 30' east ...?

metes and bounds

Property descriptions by metes and bounds is the oldest method of describing property. As such, property descriptions used today could date back to

when Texas was under the rule of Spain

Legal descriptions tend to prefer neat straight lines from point to point, regardless of describing a square, rectangle, triangle or even a smooth circle. When might a property boundary end up being a squiggly line?

when describing a property line drawn down the center of a creek bed

How many acres are in a quarter-section parcel of land?

160

A brass plate embedded on the siding of an historical building near the Texas coast contains the words "elevation 30 feet above mean sea level." The brass plate is which?

a benchmark

In the metes-and-bounds description, 360° equals

a circle

Who is responsible for the preparation of a subdivision plat that must be filed and approved by county officials before lots can be assigned?

a licensed surveyor

Sales agents are warned that metes-and-bounds descriptions "are highly complicated and should be handled with extreme care." Who should be called in to help with complex descriptions?

a surveyor who can take (or retake) precise measurements

A property owner may divide the space above the property's surface into

air lots

A legal description from the POB thence 90° E, 5280'; thence 0° S, 5280'; thence 90° W, 5280'; thence 0° N, 5280' to the POB outlines which of the following?

all of these A metes-and-bounds description starts at a definite point called the POB. The circumference of the property is described until the description ends back at the POB. A metes-and-bounds description includes a POB, distances, and directions. 5,280 feet = 1 linear mile; 1 mile square = a section; a section = 640 acres

One of the basics of pricing land is to express the price

in the same unit in which cost is given - such as per square foot or per acre

What is the effective life of a datum or benchmark?

datums and benchmarks are considered permanent markers that can be (and have been) used for more than 100 years

Because each city or town is permitted to establish datums, the elevation point

decided by the U.S. Geological Survey and is the accurate local measurement of height above sea level in New York Harbor

In any dispute involving the location of boundaries based on monuments, what is the typical resolution?

natural monuments take precedent over man-made monuments

When preparing a legal description of a property and writing down the angles, from the point of beginning (POB) and all the way back to the enclosure of the property at POB, must the angles always total exactly 360 degrees?

no, because properties are not always square and often include abutting properties that also may not be square

What land features tend to warp property descriptions in surveys?

none Land is surveyed on a flat plain basis, regardless of hills, mountains, or anything else on the property.

Which is used to describe real estate in urban areas when land is subdivided into lots, blocks, and subdivision numbers?

recorded subdivision plat method

In a metes-and-bounds description,

the actual distance between monuments takes precedence over linear measurements set forth in a description

Which describes a township square?

the parcel of land created by the intersection of a horizontal township line and a vertical range line

Are surveys required in an average real estate transaction?

yes, most significantly if the buyer has a loan that may be sold on the secondary market